Group C is for Cautious. Cautious optimism. Fernando Llorente, the former Spain striker, has some history with Scotland having stepped off the bench to score a late winner at Hampden during Craig Levein’s reign as manager to all but snuff out the hosts’ chances of qualifying for Euro 2012.
It was his last international goal. Now 39, Llorente has partly made up for this after pulling out Scotland’s ball in a comparatively kindly World Cup qualifying group ahead of the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The top two places had already been allotted to the losers of the Nations League quarter-final between Portugal and Denmark and the new ‘auld enemy’ in the form of Greece. Belarus, whose mere presence in the draw was controversial due to their tacit support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were later added to the four-team group during the inevitably long-winded process in Zurich, where Steve Clarke was in attendance.
The Scotland manager is an inscrutable character at the best of times. However, he did not look too displeased. “I’m not one to overthink it,” he later said. “But there’s a lot of interesting matches.”
The road to New Jersey, where the final will be played on July 19, has begun. The Scotland manager will know what to ask for this Christmas, if he didn’t already: the Big Bumper Book of Greek football. Indeed, the SFA might consider renting him a villa in Athens.
Games against Greece, currently managed by Ivan Jovanovic, will go a long way to shaping Scotland’s destiny in 2025. Clarke and his team were already gearing up for a two-legged Nations League play-off tie against the same opponents as they look to extend their stay in the top tier of the competition.
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